The 1970s Project

The 1970s marked the end of a 35 year period, during which governments of both political persuasions tried to use public funds to elevate the public's taste in films. But as cinemas closed, the public increasingly turned to television, switching to colour TV during the 1970s. The BFI wanted to extend its educational activities, however. From 1965 it had used public money to establish regional film theatres in association with local authorities, although it failed to guarantee them enough money to keep them afloat in the face of declining audiences. By the middle of the 1970s, all three full-time RFTs had closed, and many part-time ventures had fallen by the wayside. Encouraged by the new Labour Government, and in association with the new generation of publicly-funded regional arts associations, the BFI now decided to establish 'media centres' in the major regional conurbations, where educational and production activities could be developed alongside cinema exhibition. The arrival of a regional film theatre originally forced many local film societies to close, but in several towns they rose again when the local RFT folded. The regional arts associations refused to support them, however; and the arrival of videocassettes at the end of the decade soon made it impossible for most film societies to be able to pay the inflationary costs of hiring films.